Issue Archive

Electronics Category Winner (Winner of an HP Workstation)

Supercomputers are linked worldwide, creating ultra-highperformance
cloud, utility, and grid computers. The
Bandwidth-Delay Product (BWDP), where “delay” is the roundtrip
time for data transfer, defines required buffer memory.
Grid-X addresses BWDP, and enables faster local and globally
distributed supercomputing at lower power and cost. SeaFire
also created a variant called Grid-X Mobile for smartphones.

Grid-X was developed to advance data transfer in high-performance
computing (HPC) systems. Grid-X interfaces were
developed for the data transfer package GridFTP and interface
architecture to iRODS as part of the effort to reduce BWDP. Both
GridFTP and iRODS are used for HPC data transfer by facilities
at NASA, National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored laboratories,
national laboratories, and other federal entities.

Grid-X is network acceleration technology that reduces
memory requirements, reduces BWDP, and decreases power
consumption per channel in multiples of 10 Gbps to 100 Gbps
full-duplex (f-d). Grid-X increases CPU core resource availability.
This innovation was created through novel firmware, hardware,
and protocol design using COTS materials and transport
with UDP or TCP. Grid-X development was funded in part by
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from NASA
and NSF, and through seed investments.

Grid-X is being marketed for applications in cloud computing
network acceleration, enterprise network equipment, and
prospective network IP sub-licensees. Additional applications
for Grid-X include accelerated management of defense systems,
and fast transfer of large volumes of hospital patient
data. Additional customers include manufacturers of HPC systems
or integrators. Grid-X Mobile would significantly increase
speed of streaming video to be enjoyed by smartphone users.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/electronicswinner

This invention is a simple, inexpensive, compact, isolated,
ultra-low-power supply circuit with a standby consumption
in the range of one milliwatt. Apart from powering intelligent
sensors, this circuit could provide minimal-loss, low
standby power for monitoring and wake-up of bigger consumer
electronics AC power supplies and charger adaptors
as a load demand watchdog circuit.

The novel circuit is based on a DIAC (a standard component
in AC dimmers), a small pulse transformer commonly
used for dataline isolation, and three small capacitors: one
AC-current-limiting high-voltage input capacitor, and one
high-voltage charging capacitor on the primary side, as well as
one output buffering capacitor at the secondary side of the
miniature pulse transformer behind a diode bridge rectifier.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/power

NanoCam — Microscopic
Sized Camera
James Scott, Saint Augustine, FL

The NanoCam is a tiny
camera comprised of a single
photo sensor, piezo actuator,
and refractive component. A
working macro prototype was
built with a simple LED as the
light sensor, a quadrant piezo disc actuator, and fiber-optic
strand to sample the light. The oscillating disc deflects the
fiber strand so that optical information is “scanned” to the
LED. Because the deflection is controlled by frequency, the
camera can have numerous resolutions. The circuitry is a
simple ADO and oscillator, sent to a serial or USB input of a
computer. The software reads the bitstream and constructs
an image from the signal. Because the circuit and components
are so simple and inexpensive, this can be scaled down
using lithography and other technologies, making this ideal
for medical use, microstereoscopic arrays, micro/nano
machine vision, and disposable or consumable purposes.

Question of the Week

This week's Question: This month, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed long-awaited rules on the commercial use of small drones, requiring operators to be certified, fly only during daylight, and keep their aircraft in sight. The ruling,...